SPECIAL EDITION. DIGGING FOR DIGNITY: The Fretwell Legacy at the Heart of People’s Memorial Legacy Park on July 28, 2026. By Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church & Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association
Digging for Dignity: The Fretwell Legacy at the Heart of People’s Memorial Legacy Park
By Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.
New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association
Official Motto of People’s Memorial Legacy Park
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary and the nation commemorates the 160th anniversary of the Buffalo Soldiers, one of the most powerful stories in North Texas is not found in a textbook, museum, or monument.
It is buried beneath the sacred ground of People’s Memorial Legacy Park in Haltom City, Texas.
It is the story of Rev. Greene Fretwell, Mother Frances Fretwell, and their son, Nun Q. Fretwell.
Together, they represent faith, freedom, family, perseverance, and the determination of formerly enslaved people to build institutions that would serve generations they would never meet.
Their story is the heartbeat of the Digging for Dignity Project.
A Formerly Enslaved Man’s Journey to Freedom | https://churchofjesuschristinnorthtexas.org/fort-worth-report-digging-for-dignity-helps-restore/
Long before there was a cemetery, a church, or a community gathered near Northeast 28th Street, there was a man seeking freedom.
Rev. Greene Fretwell was born into slavery in Kentucky.
According to family history preserved through the account of his son, Nun Q. Fretwell, members of Greene Fretwell’s family were sold to a new owner in North Carolina.
Rather than surrender to a lifetime in bondage, Greene risked everything.
He swam across the Ohio River to freedom.
That courageous crossing changed the future of generations yet unborn.
The Ohio River was more than a body of water.
It represented the boundary between bondage and liberty.
Between ownership and personhood.
Between despair and hope.
When Greene Fretwell crossed that river, he was not simply escaping slavery.
He was creating a future.
That future would eventually lead him to Texas, where he became one of the pioneering African Americans who helped establish a thriving Black community in northeast Tarrant County.
A Dream Rooted in Freedom| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__nHedFt6yU
In 1883, Rev. Greene Fretwell moved his family to a farm near what is now Northeast 28th Street.
Like thousands of African Americans who emerged from slavery after the Civil War, he sought more than survival.
He sought freedom with dignity.
He sought land.
He sought faith.
He sought a future for his family.
Greene and Frances Fretwell became part of a community of approximately 30 African American families who settled in the Spears Grove area between present-day Watauga and Keller.
Together, they built homes, farms, churches, businesses, and community institutions.
They were among the earliest Black pioneers of northeast Tarrant County.
But tragedy struck in 1886.
Rev. Greene Fretwell died.
His family then faced a heartbreaking reality: There was no cemetery in that part of Tarrant County where African Americans could be buried.
No sacred ground.
No permanent resting place.
No place where Black families could honor their dead with dignity.
Mother Frances Fretwell Refused to Accept “No” | https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/hundreds-of-black-veterans-honored-at-new-trinity-cemetery/
Many historical accounts celebrate great men.
This story must also celebrate a great woman.
Following her husband’s death, Mother Frances Fretwell mounted a horse and traveled throughout the surrounding countryside seeking help.
She rode from farm to farm.
From ranch to ranch.
From family to family.
She approached neighbors, community members, church leaders, and the trustees of Trinity Chapel Methodist Church.
She asked for contributions.
Large gifts were welcomed.
Small gifts were welcomed.
Every penny mattered.
As she appealed to the community, she made a promise that still echoes across the generations:
“If they helped purchase the land, those families would always have a place to bury their loved ones.”
That promise became more than a fundraising appeal.
It became a covenant.
It was a sacred agreement between a grieving widow and an emerging community.
Through faith, determination, sacrifice, and perseverance, Mother Frances collected approximately $30.
It was enough.
In 1889, trustees of Trinity Chapel Methodist Church purchased two acres for a church and burial ground.
Rev. Greene Fretwell’s remains were moved from their original resting place in the woods and reinterred on the newly acquired land.
What began as the burial place of one formerly enslaved man became sacred ground for thousands.
The Birth of a Sacred Community | https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-11-11/black-veterans-honored-at-newly-restored-historic-haltom-city-cemetery
The property became home to Trinity Chapel Methodist Church and the original Fretwell Cemetery, also known as Old Settlers Cemetery.
Before a permanent frame church could be built, worship services were held beneath a brush arbor.
The church became the spiritual heart of the community.
It was a place where families worshiped, organized, celebrated, mourned, and strengthened one another.
As the community grew, the burial ground expanded.
During the 1920s, burials began on adjacent land that became known as New Trinity Cemetery.
In 1931, additional property was designated as People’s Burial Park.
The historic site therefore consists of three original burial grounds:
Fretwell Cemetery, established in 1886; New Trinity Cemetery, developed during the 1920s; and People’s Burial Park, established in 1931.
Although historical records and maps have used different names, the three connected burial grounds are now honored collectively as People’s Memorial Legacy Park.
The sacred property is believed to contain the remains of more than 7,700 African American pioneers and more than 500 veterans.
Each grave represents a life.
Each life represents a family.
Each family represents a chapter of history.
The Son Who Carried the Legacy| https://dallasexpress.com/state/east-texas-veterans-cemetery-announced-to-honor-generations-of-service/
Among the remarkable people buried on this sacred ground is Nun Q. Fretwell, the youngest son of Greene and Frances Fretwell.
Born in Spears Grove in 1878, Nun Q. Fretwell lived for 100 years.
His life stretched from Reconstruction through Jim Crow, two world wars, the Great Depression, and the modern Civil Rights Movement.
He witnessed horse-drawn transportation give way to automobiles.
He witnessed communities transformed by railroads and industry.
He witnessed generations of African Americans struggle against segregation and discrimination.
Yet he never forgot where he came from.
He never forgot the courage of his father.
He never forgot the sacrifice of his mother.
According to his obituary, Nun Q. Fretwell preserved the story of how his father escaped slavery by swimming across the Ohio River to freedom after other members of the family had been sold away.
That story became part of the Fretwell family’s identity and inheritance.
Known affectionately as “Nun,” he worked for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad—commonly known as the Katy Railroad—from 1918 until 1950.
He also farmed and raised cattle near his home.
Gardening remained one of his lifelong habits. Friends remembered that he regularly rose at 6 a.m. and observed the weather from his front porch before beginning his day.
Nun Q. Fretwell also became a pioneering Black entrepreneur.
He owned and operated what was reported to be the first and only Black-owned soft-drink bottling company in Tarrant County.
His company produced Arkola Cola.
His entrepreneurial accomplishments reflected the determination of a generation that created businesses, supported families, and built communities despite segregation and limited access to capital and opportunity.
In 1978, Nun Q. Fretwell celebrated his 100th birthday.
He received a tribute from the Tarrant County Historical Society and messages of congratulations from President Jimmy Carter, Fort Worth Mayor Hugh Parmer, and numerous public officials and community leaders.
Tarrant County Judge Mike Moncrief proclaimed April 24 as Nun Q. Fretwell Day in Tarrant County.
He was also appointed an honorary commissioner of Tarrant County Precinct 4.
When Nun Q. Fretwell died at the age of 100, he was buried in Trinity Cemetery—the sacred resting place his father’s death inspired and his mother’s determination helped create.
He returned home to the fulfillment of Mother Frances Fretwell’s promise.
The Buffalo Soldiers Connection
Why should the Fretwell family’s story be told during National Buffalo Soldiers Day?
Because the Fretwells and the Buffalo Soldiers were part of the same larger struggle for freedom, dignity, citizenship, and opportunity.
The Buffalo Soldiers protected the frontier.
The Fretwells helped settle and sustain it.
The Buffalo Soldiers defended opportunity.
The Fretwells created opportunity.
The Buffalo Soldiers served the nation, protected communities, constructed roads, carried supplies, and helped shape the American West.
The Fretwells built farms, churches, businesses, burial grounds, and community institutions.
The Buffalo Soldiers demonstrated courage while wearing the uniform of a nation that did not always respect their humanity.
The Fretwells demonstrated courage while building a community within a society that denied African Americans equal access to land, public institutions, economic resources, and even burial grounds.
Both overcame discrimination.
Both demonstrated extraordinary resilience.
Both helped shape the history of Texas and the United States.
Together, they represent the triumph of faith and perseverance over oppression.
The Mystery of Rev. Greene Fretwell’s Grave
One of the most moving chapters of this story remains unfinished.
Historical accounts indicate that the original grave marker of Rev. Greene Fretwell was destroyed by vandals many years ago.
Members of the Fretwell family reportedly protected the exact location of his grave while hoping that a new marker could eventually be installed and his burial place restored with dignity.
There is something deeply powerful about that act of protection.
The man whose death inspired the creation of the cemetery remained guarded by the descendants of the family and community he helped establish.
Even after death, his family continued protecting his legacy.
The Digging for Dignity Project believes the story of Rev. Greene Fretwell should be preserved, his resting place treated with reverence, and his contribution to Tarrant County history properly recognized.
Digging for Dignity
The Digging for Dignity Project exists because stories such as this matter.
The project is not simply about cutting grass.
It is not simply about clearing brush or cleaning grave markers.
It is about restoring names.
Restoring memories.
Restoring history.
Restoring family connections.
Restoring dignity.
Every grave has a story.
Every marker represents a life.
Every burial represents a family.
Every family contributed to the communities we know today.
The story of Rev. Greene Fretwell, Mother Frances Fretwell, and Nun Q. Fretwell reminds us that People’s Memorial Legacy Park is not merely a cemetery.
It is a living archive of African American history.
It is a monument to freedom.
It is a testimony of faith.
It is a witness to resilience.
It is the fulfillment of a widow’s promise.
As we gather on July 28, 2026, for National Buffalo Soldiers Day, may we remember the family whose sacrifice, courage, and vision established this sacred ground.
Without Rev. Greene Fretwell’s courage, there may have been no beginning.
Without Mother Frances Fretwell’s determination, there may have been no land.
Without Nun Q. Fretwell’s century of life and stewardship, there may have been no living bridge connecting the generations.
Their story is not simply part of the Digging for Dignity Project.
Their story is the foundation upon which it stands.
People’s Memorial Legacy Park Motto
Digging for Dignity Project Motto
“They Were Buried in Silence. We Will Raise Their Names in Resilience.”
National Buffalo Soldiers Day
Presented by the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association, New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, and the Digging for Dignity Project.
About the Author and Curator
Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.
Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. is a Fort Worth pastor, community advocate, historical preservationist, and curator whose work connects faith, history, justice, public service, and community development.
He serves as Senior Pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth and as Chaplain of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association. He is also President of the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas and curator of the Digging for Dignity Project.
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Pastor Tatum is the ninth of 10 children born to Carol A. Tatum. He attended Trimble Technical High School, Tarleton State University, and the University of North Texas. His early career included leadership in education, student development, community service, and social justice. He accepted his call to the ministry on October 2, 1997.
In September 2018, Pastor Tatum became Senior Pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church. Under his leadership, the church has developed into what he calls a “Holy House of Hospitality”—a congregation committed to meeting both the spiritual and practical needs of the community.
New Mount Rose has led initiatives addressing hunger, health disparities, education, workforce development, neighborhood revitalization, and economic opportunity. These efforts include the Community Food Bowl, Clinic Without Walls, Funkytown Food Forest, and the Erma Johnson Hadley Chancellor CommuniVersity Center.
The Digging for Dignity Project represents one of Pastor Tatum’s most significant historical and community-preservation efforts.
The project seeks to preserve historically African American cemeteries, document neglected and forgotten graves, honor veterans, recover the stories of Black pioneers, and reconnect descendants with the people and places that shaped their families.
At the center of the project is People’s Memorial Legacy Park, the historic cemetery complex formed by Fretwell Cemetery, New Trinity Cemetery, and People’s Burial Park.
Through historical research, community partnerships, family engagement, public education, cemetery service projects, and commemorative events, Pastor Tatum has helped bring renewed attention to the Fretwell family and the thousands of African American pioneers and veterans buried on the property.
The project received increased recognition following the discovery of the gravesite of Florence Marie Cole Rawls, a member of the historic 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit sent overseas during World War II.
As Chaplain of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association, Pastor Tatum works to preserve the history and legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers and to educate new generations about the sacrifices and accomplishments of Black military service members.
His work connects the history of the Buffalo Soldiers with the experiences of Black pioneers such as the Fretwell family. One group defended and developed the frontier through military service, while the other built the churches, farms, businesses, cemeteries, and communities that gave African American families a foundation for the future.
Pastor Tatum believes cemeteries are more than burial grounds.
They are classrooms.
They are archives.
They are sacred spaces where history speaks.
His vision for People’s Memorial Legacy Park is rooted in Mother Frances Fretwell’s 1889 promise:
“If they helped purchase the land, those families would always have a place to bury their loved ones.”
That promise now guides the continuing mission of People’s Memorial Legacy Park.
Through the Digging for Dignity Project, Pastor Tatum remains committed to documenting history, restoring gravesites, honoring veterans, reconnecting families, preserving cultural heritage, and ensuring that the people who built North Texas are never forgotten.
His work is guided by a simple but powerful declaration:
“They Were Buried in Silence. We Will Raise Their Names in Resilience.”
Signature Legacy
Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. has dedicated his ministry to ensuring that those who built our communities are remembered with dignity—demonstrating that preserving history is not only about honoring the dead, but also about educating, uniting, and inspiring the living.
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